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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · cap · content · drill · pit · cell · toast · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. vault — a safe
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cap — of ice
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pit — a hole
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. content — happy
  20. kid — to tease
  21. content — the amount
  22. drill — army training
  23. cell — a phone
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com